Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Film and Video Production
Film and Video Production
SCENE
TAKE SOUNDD
PROD
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CAMERA INT EXT
Film and Video Production 12
Film and Video Production 12
Contents of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part provided the intended use is for
non-commercial purposes and full acknowledgment is given to the Nova Scotia Department of Education.
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
ISBN: 0-88871-827-6
791.43—dc21 2003
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Acknowledgments
The Nova Scotia Department of Education gratefully acknowledges the
contribution of the Film and Video Production 12 Workgroup.
Members include the following:
Contents
Introduction
Course While this academic course can be offered as an arts course, it does not
Designation meet the requirements for the compulsory fine arts credit as mandated
for high school graduation. Fine arts courses in high school (dance,
drama, music, visual arts) require a significant degree of skill
development in order for students to develop the understandings and
processes associated with the arts: creating/making/presenting;
understanding in context of time, place, and community; perceiving/
reflecting/responding.
Film and Video Production 12 can also be offered as a technology
credit. Film and Video Production 12 is an eligible technology credit to
meet graduation requirements.
Outcomes
Essential The Atlantic provinces have worked together to identify the abilities and
Graduation areas of knowledge that they consider essential for students graduating
from high school. The six areas of learning are referred to as essential
Learnings and Film graduation learnings. Details may be found in Public School Programs.
and Video Some examples of learning in Film and Video Production 12 that help
Production 12 students move toward attainment of the essential graduation learnings
are given below.
Aesthetic Expression Graduates will be able to respond with critical awareness to various
forms of the arts and be able to express themselves through the arts.
By the end of Film and Video Production 12, students will be expected to
• analyse short scenes, character histories, and movie reviews in order
to create their own works
• identify the elements of successful narrative and its translation to the
screen
• participate in the process of viewing and shooting short movies
Communication Graduates will be able to use the listening, viewing, speaking, reading,
and writing modes of language(s) as well as mathematical and scientific
concepts and symbols to think, learn, and communicate effectively.
By the end of Film and Video Production 12, students will be expected to
• express thoughts, experiences, and feelings through acting and
collaborating with the creative production team
• interact with sensitivity to and respect for their own work and that of
other team members
• manipulate ideas, tools, and materials in expressing their
understandings
Problem Solving Graduates will be able to use the strategies and processes needed to solve
a wide variety of problems, including those requiring language and
mathematical and scientific concepts.
By the end of Film and Video Production 12, students will be expected to
• manage all logistical, creative, technical, and promotional aspects of
the production of a film
• demonstrate an understanding of the operation of a video camera
and anticipate and convey any technical difficulties
Module 2: Production GCO 2: Students will be expected to develop basic strategies for
Team Skills creating and critically reviewing films.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to
• explore a range of roles within the production team
• demonstrate a working knowledge of the responsibilities of the
producer, director, camera operator, sound/music technician, editor,
and production designer
• demonstrate specific functions within their assigned role(s)
• analyse short scenes, character histories, and movie reviews in order
to create their own works
• analyse characters and scenes and work with actors in the role of
director
• demonstrate an understanding of the operation of a video camera
and anticipate and convey any technical difficulties
• operate sound equipment and record sound scores for scenes
• express thoughts, experiences, and feelings through acting and
collaborating with the creative production team
• demonstrate a working knowledge of the editing process
Module 4: Film GCO 4: Students will be expected to demonstrate their abilities, skills,
Development and and techniques in every aspect of the development of their own short
films.
Production
By the end of this module, students will be expected to
• demonstrate an understanding of the script-to-screen process from
research to the final production
• in their specific roles, manage logistical, creative, technical, and/or
promotional aspects of a movie
• demonstrate an understanding of story structure and the script-
writing process
• manage all logistical, creative, technical, and promotional aspects of
the production of a film
• interact with sensitivity to and respect for their own work and that of
other team members
• manipulate ideas, tools, and materials in expressing their
understanding
• bring personal meaning to and communicate discoveries by
reflecting on their learnings at the end of each video assignment and
at the end of the course
Features of Film For the most part, students taking Film and Video Production 12 will
and Video produce videos only, since the production of film is substantially
different. Many teachers may wish to take the approach that this course
Production 12 is designed for film study and video production. Its primary goal is to
allow students to experience the art of developing a concept and
creating a finished video based on traditional filmmaking techniques.
Students learn not only how to develop a script—a primary focus of the
course—but also, as members of a production team, how to assume all
the roles that are critical in the creation of a video.
Film and Video Production 12 is characterized by the following
features:
• a strong applied focus, with an emphasis on integrating, applying,
and reinforcing the knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed in
other courses
• a strong connection to the essential graduation learnings
• a strong focus on refining career-planning skills to explore a range of
pathways from school to the world of work
• a strong connection to labour market opportunities with a focus on
enhancing students’ employability skills
• a strong connection to the community and workplace problems and
situations as practical contexts for the application of knowledge and
skills and for further learning
• a strong focus on hands-on learning experiences, including
experiences with a range of technologies
• a flexible design framework based on learning modules
• a team approach to production where students work within
production teams that reflect the work environment within the
industry
• a structured approach to learning experiences with sufficient rigour
to reflect the demands of a career in film and video production
• an emphasis on the range of roles within which students can develop
a broad understanding of the roles and processes of the industry
• a flexible design framework based on learning modules
Learning The suggestions for teaching and learning in this course are intended to
Experiences promote students’ development and growth as learners in a range of
ways.
Planning and Design Learning experiences will involve students in making plans and putting
them into action. Designing and participating in a variety of roles
within the production process will enable students to develop and apply
problem-solving and decision-making strategies, as well as critical
thinking abilities. As students plan and design their productions, they
will develop as self-starters capable of achieving their goals. Planning
and developing collaborative projects will help learners develop
important teamwork, communication, and negotiation skills.
Organizing for
Instruction
Addressing Students’ Students who elect to take Film and Video Production 12 will bring to
Interests and Abilities the class a variety of interests, including dance, drama, music, visual
arts, literary arts, and multimedia. In addition, students will have had a
range of prior learning experiences in the arts. Students’ backgrounds
and abilities, in particular in arts disciplines, may be quite diverse. It is
important, therefore, that teachers identify the individual learning needs
and interests of the students and facilitate learning opportunities that
will address those needs.
As a first step in organizing for instruction, it will be important for the
teacher to develop a class profile describing the interests and abilities of
the students. This profile will guide the teacher in planning activities
throughout the course and will determine the expectations for students’
learning. It is recommended that the teacher meet with the students
prior to the start of the course to inform them of both requirements and
opportunities and to invite them to provide input into the direction the
course will take.
Teachers who do not have extensive skills in all aspects of film and video
production should not feel restricted in the activities planned for the
students. For example, if the teacher does not have an extensive
background in a particular type of editing or sound recording software,
it is quite possible that some students in the group may have prior
experience and can share their knowledge and develop their skill further.
The nature of film and video production will require that students have
flexibility in the development of their projects. This flexibility may
mean that students will be required to shoot footage in other parts of
the school or in a setting in the community. Other projects may require
the students to shoot footage in the early evening hours when lighting is
appropriate. The teacher must follow proper procedures for monitoring
such activities and ensure that permission has been given by both the
administration of the school and the students’ parents or guardians.
Module 1 Module 1
Module 4
Module 2 or Module 2
Module 3 Module 3
Module 4
The Four-Column The curriculum for this course has been organized into four columns
for several reasons:
Spread
• the organization illustrates how learning experiences flow from the
outcomes.
• the relationship between outcomes and assessment strategies is
immediately apparent.
• related and interrelated outcomes can be grouped together.
• the range of strategies for teaching and learning associated with a
specific outcome or outcomes can be scanned easily.
• the organization provides multiple ways of reading the document or
of searching for specific information.
GCO 1: Students will be expected to demonstrate a basic understanding of key aspects of GCO 1: Students will be expected to demonstrate a basic understanding of key aspects of
film and television drama including roles and responsibilities of production team film and television drama including roles and responsibilities of production team
members. members.
Outcomes Suggestions for Learning and Teaching Suggestions for Assessment Notes and Resources
Students will be expected to Teachers can Teachers can • The Complete Film Dictionary
• describe the film process from • screen short Canadian films that expose students to filmmaking • develop and provide, for students, activity checklists based on (2nd ed.), NSSBB #22649
pre-production, through talent from across the country expectations for each aspect of film production • Producing and Directing the
production, to post-production • initiate discussion on the impact of movies/television on their own • initiate discussions at the end of each process to allow students to Short Film and Video (2nd ed.),
• identify the roles and and others’ lives share and reflect upon successes and areas to work on NSSBB #23012
responsibilities of each member • present the elements of story for students’ investigation • engage in an interactive dialogue with students in their film journals • Understanding the Film:
of the production team • provide information on each of the roles involved in making a movie • meet with teams/individuals to provide expectations and gather Introduction to Film
• demonstrate an understanding • encourage the development of skills in communicating thoughts, feedback (See checklist, Appendix C, Film and Video Observational Appreciation (5th ed.),
of the support that each feelings, and understandings through ongoing conversations at every Checklist.) NSSBB #23013
production element lends to stage of production • develop with students profiles of their work, questions, comments, • Film Directing Shot by Shot:
the entire creative endeavour • ensure maximum participation by all students through team making and concerns Visualizing from Concept to
• demonstrate an understanding and choice in the assignment of roles • have students write initial reviews of film and television programs Screen
of and ability to use basic • show scenes from movies to demonstrate the production values used and assess them for clarity, accuracy, communication, and • What They Don’t Teach You at
screen production terminology in telling the story, e.g., colour, sound, costume entertainment factors Film School: 161 Strategies for
• identify key elements of story • arrange for students to use the available and appropriate working • observe students and assess them on “set protocol” and the human Making Your Own Movie,
as expressed in film spaces, as well as opportunities to experiment with basic sound, and social aspects of production NSSBB #23010
• identify all the production light, camera, and editing equipment • work with students to develop a portfolio throughout the course • Digital Videos, Learning
elements in a short movie that • using The Complete Dictionary of Film, develop vocabulary- • through observation and discussion, assess the students’ use of Resources and Technology,
require attention from building exercises and activities correct terminology and film and video production terminology Media Library
production team members • ensure that students participate in a wide variety of roles
• demonstrate basic technical As screenwriters, students can
abilities with camera, sound,
lighting, and editing • identify the key elements of effective storytelling by selecting a scene
• participate in the process of and recording the “beats” (dramatic changes), the conflict, climax,
writing and shooting a short character objectives
movie • read a screenplay, identifying major plot points, acts, and character
arcs (the development of character through story)
• write a short original dramatic scene based on a “backgrounder” that
describes the characters and back story of events leading up to the
scene; write a one sentence synopsis of the scene; write an outline of
the scene to indicate progression of action and the beat during which
something changes in the scene
• prepare and present a script in an industry-standard format
Column One: Outcomes This column describes what students are expected to know, be able to
do, and value by the end of this course. While the outcomes may be
clustered, they are not necessarily sequential.
Column Two: Suggestions for This column offers a range of strategies from which teachers and
Learning and Teaching students may choose. Suggested learning experiences can be used in
various combinations to help students achieve an outcome or outcomes.
It is not necessary to use all of these suggestions, nor is it necessary for
all students to engage in the same learning experiences.
Column Three: Suggestions These suggestions may be used to assess students’ success in achieving
for Assessment the outcomes; they are linked to the Outcomes column and the
Suggestions for Learning and Teaching column. The suggestions are
only samples; for more information, read the section Assessing and
Evaluating Student Learning.
Column Four: Notes and This column contains a variety of information related to the items in
Resources the other columns, including suggested resources, elaborations on
strategies, successes, cautions, and definitions. Complete bibliographic
information for print resources may be found in Appendix A.
Students can
• engage in collaborative review and critique of their own and others’
work
• develop time and activity schedules/calendars for completion of
assignments
• maintain a reflective journal with notes, comments, questions,
sketches, and plans for each aspect of the course
• engage in role-play exercises that simulate the role of each member of
the production team
• complete assignments in each production role, considering a
selection for “in-depth exploration” later in the semester
• review and critique films following specific guidelines
• engage in co-operative exercises that demonstrate an understanding
of equipment basics, storytelling, storyboarding, sound, camera set-
up and angles, art direction, and wrapping up of the equipment
Students can
• engage in collaborative review and critique of their own and others’
work
• develop time and activity schedules/calendars for completion of
assignments
• maintain a reflective journal with notes, comments, questions,
sketches, and plans for each aspect of the course
• engage in role-play exercises that simulate the role of each member of
the production team
• complete assignments in each production role, considering a
selection for “in-depth exploration” later in the semester
• review and critique films following specific guidelines
• engage in co-operative exercises that demonstrate an understanding
of equipment basics, storytelling, storyboarding, sound, camera set-
up and angles, art direction, and wrapping up of the equipment
Students can
• engage in collaborative review and critique of their own and others’
work
• develop time and activity schedules/calendars for completion of
assignments
• maintain a reflective journal with notes, comments, questions,
sketches, and plans for each aspect of the course
• engage in role-play exercises that simulate the role of each member
of the production team
• complete assignments in each production role, considering a
selection for “in-depth exploration” later in the semester
• review and critique films following specific guidelines
• engage in co-operative exercises that demonstrate an understanding
of equipment basics, storytelling, storyboarding, sound, camera set-
up and angles, art direction, and wrapping up of the equipment
GCO 2: Students will be expected to develop basic strategies for creating and critically
reviewing films.
GCO 2: Students will be expected to develop basic strategies for creating and critically
reviewing films.
GCO 2: Students will be expected to develop basic strategies for creating and critically
reviewing films.
GCO 2: Students will be expected to develop basic strategies for creating and critically
reviewing films.
GCO 2: Students will be expected to develop basic strategies for creating and critically
reviewing films.
GCO 2: Students will be expected to develop basic strategies for creating and critically
reviewing films.
GCO 4: Students will be expected to demonstrate their abilities, skills, and techniques in
every aspect of the development of their own short films.
GCO 4: Students will be expected to demonstrate their abilities, skills, and techniques in
every aspect of the development of their own short films.
GCO 4: Students will be expected to demonstrate their abilities, skills, and techniques in
every aspect of the development of their own short films.
GCO 4: Students will be expected to demonstrate their abilities, skills, and techniques in
every aspect of the development of their own short films.
GCO 4: Students will be expected to demonstrate their abilities, skills, and techniques in
every aspect of the development of their own short films.
GCO 4: Students will be expected to demonstrate their abilities, skills, and techniques in
every aspect of the development of their own short films.
Engaging All Students A supportive environment is important for all learners and is especially
important in encouraging disengaged or underachieving learners.
Film and Video Production 12 provides new opportunities to engage
students who lack confidence in themselves as learners, who have a
potential that has not been realized, or whose learning has been
interrupted, for example, refugees. These students may need substantial
support in gaining essential knowledge and skills and in interacting
with others.
Students need to engage fully in learning experiences that
• are perceived as authentic and worthwhile
• build on their prior knowledge
• allow them to construct meaning in their own way, at their own pace
• link learning to understanding and affirming their own experiences
• encourage them to experience ownership and control of their
learning
• feature frequent feedback and encouragement
• include opportunities to provide individuals with clarification and
elaboration
• are not threatening or intimidating
• focus on successes rather than failures
• are organized into clear, structured segments
It is important that teachers design learning experiences that provide a
balance between challenge and success and between support and
autonomy.
All students benefit from a variety of grouping arrangements that allow
optimum opportunities for meaningful teacher-student and student-
student interaction. An effective instructional design provides a balance
of the following grouping strategies:
• large-group or whole-class learning
• teacher-directed small-group learning
• small-group-directed learning
• co-operative learning groups
• one-to-one teacher-student learning
• independent learning
• partnered learning
• peer or cross-age tutoring
• mentoring
Health and Safety Activities in Film and Video Production 12 should include an element
of safety education. Teachers should plan learning experiences with a
specific safety focus and also embed safe practices in classroom
procedures and routines in order that students may acquire
• a strong orientation toward both personal and group safety
• an awareness of potential safety hazards at school and in the
workplace
• a knowledge of safety procedures and safe work habits
• a knowledge of emergency procedures
• the ability to design and maintain safe work areas
More specific guidelines can be found in Health and Safety Guidelines
for the Nova Scotia Film and Video Production Industry, available at the
Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Labour Web site.
Learning beyond the Film and Video Production 12 offers many opportunities for students
Classroom to extend learning beyond the classroom. Alternative settings provide
students with opportunities to connect their learning to tangible,
practical purposes, their future education and career plans, and the
world beyond the high school setting. Many activities in this
curriculum require students to participate in their learning outside the
traditional classroom, or even outside the school, and sometimes these
activities take place outside the regular school day. Administrators
should recognize that learning in this course may take place in non-
traditional settings, and they should support teachers by ensuring that
they are aware of proper protocol in these circumstances.
Teachers may choose to organize learning experiences that include
workplace settings for some or all students. Learning experiences may
include
• practices and procedures to encourage students to use technology
properly and with care
• activities with mentors
• classroom visits from workplace experts
• field trips to local business, industry, and community sites
• a focus on career exploration through job shadowing
• work placements that extend and reinforce learning
• entrepreneurship-related projects
• community and service learning projects
Meeting the Needs Learners require inclusive classrooms, where a wide variety of learning
of All Students experiences ensures that all students have equitable opportunities to
reach their potential.
In designing learning experiences, teachers must accommodate the
learning needs of individuals and consider the abilities, experiences,
interests, and values that they bring to the classroom.
In recognizing and valuing the diversity of students, teachers should
consider ways to
• create a climate and design learning experiences to affirm the dignity
and worth of all learners in the classroom community
• give consideration to the social and economic situations of all
learners
• model the use of inclusive language, attitudes, and actions
supportive of all learners
• acknowledge racial and cultural uniqueness
• adapt classroom organization, teaching strategies, assessment
practices, time, and learning resources to address learners’ needs and
build on their strengths
• provide opportunities for learners to work in a variety of contexts,
including mixed-ability groupings
• identify and utilize strategies and resources that respond to the range
of students’ learning styles and preferences
• build on students’ individual levels of knowledge, skills, and
attitudes
The Role of
Technology
Vision for the The Nova Scotia Department of Education has articulated five
Integration of components to the learning outcomes framework for the integration of
Information IT within curriculum programs:
Technologies 1. Basic Operations and Concepts
Concepts and skills associated with the safe, efficient operation of a
range of information technologies
2. Productivity Tools and Software
The efficient selection and use of IT to perform tasks such as
• the exploration of ideas
• data collection
• data manipulation, including the discovery of patterns and
relationships
• problem solving
• the representation of learning
3. Communications Technology
The use of specific, interactive technologies that support
collaboration and sharing through communication
4. Research, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
The organization, reasoning, and evaluation by which students
rationalize their use of IT
5. Social, Ethical, and Human Issues
The understanding associated with the use of IT that encourages in
students a commitment to pursue personal and social good,
particularly to build and improve their learning environments and to
foster stronger relationships with their peers and others who support
their learning.
The Role of Technology can support learning for the following specific purposes in
Technology in Film and Video Production 12.
Film and Video
Production 12
Inquiry Theory Building: Students can develop ideas, plan projects, track the
results of growth in their understanding, develop dynamic, detailed
outlines, and develop models to test their understanding, using software
and hardware for modelling, simulation, representation, integration,
and planning.
Data Access: Students can search for and access documents, multimedia
events, simulations, and conversations through hypertext/hypermedia
software; digital, CD-ROM, and Internet libraries, and databases.
Data Collection: Students can create, obtain, and organize information
in a range of forms, using sensing, scanning, image and sound recording
and editing technology, databases, spreadsheets, survey software, and
Internet search software.
Expression Students can shape the creative expression of their ideas, feelings,
insights, and understandings using graphic software; music making,
composing, editing, and synthesizing technology; interactive video and
hypermedia, animation software; multimedia composing technology;
sound and light control systems and software; and video and audio
recording and editing technology.
Involving Students in When students are aware of the outcomes they are responsible for and
the Assessment the criteria by which their work will be assessed or evaluated, they can
Process make informed decisions about the most effective ways to demonstrate
what they know, are able to do, and value.
It is important that students participate actively in the assessment and
evaluation of their learning, developing their own criteria and learning
to judge a range of qualities in their work. Students should have access
to models in the form of scoring criteria, rubrics, and work samples.
As lifelong learners, students assess their own progress, rather than
relying on external measures, for example grades, to tell them how well
they are doing. Students who are empowered to assess their own
progress are more likely to perceive their learning as its own reward.
Rather than asking, What does the teacher want? students need to ask
questions such as, What have I learned? What can I do now that I
couldn’t do before? What do I need to learn next?
Effective assessment practices provide opportunities for students to
• reflect on their progress toward learning outcomes
• assess and evaluate their learning
• set goals for future learning
Diverse Learning Teachers should develop assessment practices that affirm and
Styles and Needs accommodate students’ cultural and linguistic diversity. Teachers should
consider patterns of social interaction, diverse learning styles, and the
multiple ways in which oral, written, and visual language are used in
different cultures for a range of purposes. Student performance takes
place not only in a learning context, but in a social and cultural context
as well.
Assessment practices must be fair, equitable, and without bias, creating
opportunities for students who have had a range of learning
opportunities and experiences to demonstrate their learning.
Using a Variety of When teachers make decisions about what learning to assess and
Assessment evaluate, how to assess and evaluate, and how to communicate the
results, they send clear messages to students and others about what
Strategies learning they value; for example, teachers can communicate that they
value risk taking or lateral thinking by including these elements in
determining marks or grades.
Assessment involves the use of a variety of methods to gather
information about a wide range of student learning to develop a valid
and reliable snapshot of what students know and are able to do that is
clear, comprehensive, and balanced. The assessment process provides
information about each student’s progress toward achievement of
learning outcomes, which teachers can use to assign grades, to initiate
conversations with students, or to make decisions in planning
subsequent learning experiences.
Teachers align assessment and evaluation practices with student-centred
learning practices when they
• design evaluation and assessment tasks that help students make
judgments about their own learning and performance
• provide evaluation and assessment tasks that allow for a variety of
learning styles and preferences
• individualize evaluation and assessment tasks to accommodate
specific learning needs
• work with students to describe and clarify what will be evaluated and
how it will be evaluated
• provide students with feedback on their learning that is regular,
specific, frequent, and consistent
Assessment activities, tasks, and strategies include, for example,
• anecdotal records
• artifacts
• audiotapes
• checklists
• conferences
• certifications
• demonstrations
• dramatizations
• exhibitions
Tests and Traditional tests and examinations are not, by themselves, adequate to
Examinations assess student learning. The format can be revised and adapted to reflect
key aspects of the curriculum. Some teachers, for example, have
designed tests and examinations based on collaborative or small-groups,
project, or portfolio learning. Creating opportunities for students to
collaborate on a test or examination is an effective practice in the
interactive classroom, when assessing learning of a higher order than
recall of information, for example, learning that requires synthesis,
analysis, or evaluation.
In learning activities that involve responding to a text or solving a
problem, for example, students might work collaboratively to clarify and
define the task and then work either collaboratively or individually to
develop an answer. Students might be given a range of questions, issues,
or problems and work collaboratively to clarify the assignment and plan
a response in preparation for the examination when only one of the
questions, issues, or problems is assigned. The initial list of questions,
issues or problems can be developed by the teacher, negotiated by the
teacher with students, or developed by students and screened by the
teacher.
Process-based tests and examinations allow students to demonstrate
knowledge and skills and apply strategies at multiple stages in learning
processes, for example, in creating texts, responding to texts or issues,
solving problems, or gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing
information.
Traditional tests and examinations may present a number of problems in
scheduling and resource allocation. Process-based tests and examinations
may be undertaken in steps during several class periods over a number
of days. Students have opportunities to revise, reflect on, and extend
their knowledge and understanding. Teachers have opportunities to
Preparation for In Film and Video Production 12, students will need to prepare to
Entrance and demonstrate their learning through entrance tests and examinations or
Certification Exams to obtain or upgrade a certification. Replicating this type of assessment
in the classroom can help students prepare for the conditions and
assessment formats they may encounter in workplace and post-
secondary situations.
To make this kind of assessment an effective learning experience,
teachers should define a specific context and purpose, for example, the
operation of a device, the identification of materials labels, or the
demonstration of a technique or procedure.
Appendix A: Resources
Teachers should note that this list of resources is current as of the
publication of this guide and that some resources will change over time.
Teachers should consult Authorized Learning Resources, which can be
accessed through the Department of Education Web site. As new
resources are approved for Film and Video Production 12, they will be
added to this list.
In addition to the resources listed in this appendix, Internet resources
can also be valuable when planning learning, teaching, and assessment
activities. Teachers are responsible for checking Web sites before
students access them to ensure that they are appropriate for student use.
Teachers should be fully advised of provincial, board, and school
policies pertaining to Internet use. In particular, teachers should
familiarize themselves with the Internet Access and Use Policy for Nova
Scotia Schools available through the Department of Education home
page.
Many excellent materials exist in support of the Film and Video
Production 12 curriculum. Physical and human resources extend
beyond the classroom and into the community, and it is important that
teachers and students have access to a wide variety of them. The range
of resources must
• affirm the diversity of learners’ interests, needs, abilities, and
experiences
• support the achievement of film and video curriculum outcomes
• include appropriate equipment and technology
Print Resources
Student and Teacher • Konigsberg, Ira. The Complete Film Dictionary, (2nd ed.) Penguin,
Resources, ALR 1997. ISBN 0-14-051393-0. NSSBB #22649
– Description: Keeping pace with the most recent changes and
innovations in the film industry, this text has been updated and
enlarged, with more than 500 new entries and 40 new
illustrations. This resource covers all of the latest advances in
filmmaking, including the impact of the digital revolution.
• Moscovitch, Arlene. Constructing Reality: Exploring Media Issues in
Documentary. National Film Board of Canada, 1993.
ISBN 0-7722-0500-0.
– Description: This 288-page Media Studies print resource was
designed to accompany the National Film Board of Canada video
• Teasley, Alan and Ann Wilder. Reel Conversations: Reading Films With
Young Adults. Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1997.
ISBN 0-86709-377-3.
– Description: This book discusses and demonstrates the powerful
role film can play in both the film and video production course
and the English classroom, both as a subject in itself and as a key
dimension of language study. It provides teachers with proven
methods for teaching with and about films, describes techniques
for instruction, details more than 200 films appropriate for
classroom use, and includes samples of student writing in
response to selected films.
• Landau, Camille and Tiare White. What They Don’t Teach You at
Film School: 161 Strategies for Making Your Own Movie. Hyperion,
2000. ISBN 0-7868-8477-0. NSSBB #23010
– Description: You don’t have to go to film school to make movies,
and what this book offers is 161 practical strategies to make your
movies even with limited training and experience. This book has
solutions for surviving both the large and small crises of
filmmaking.
• Rosenthal, Alan. Writing, Directing and Producing Documentary Films
and Videos, (3rd ed.) Southern Illinois University Press, 2002. ISBN 0-
8093-2448-2.
– Description: This book explains how one approaches
documentary filmmaking in the 21st century. Foregoing theory
and hardware, it tackles the day-to-day problems from initial
concept through distribution, emphasizing the research and
writing approach.
Student and Teacher • Guide: Canada’s Production Industry Directory (Canadian Film and
Resources, Other Television Production Association, 1-800-656-7440)
• Playback, Canada’s bi-weekly broadcast and production newspaper
Resources
(1-416-408-2300.)
• Filmmaker: The Magazine of Independent Film (1-323-932-6069)
FVP Resources
The Camera Digital cameras (Digital 8 or DV) are highly recommended. The ease of
transferring raw footage and superior video quality make these cameras
a primary resource. While the prices remain higher than analog cameras,
digital technology is the new standard for student-produced video.
Camera features necessary for Film and Video Production 12 include
• manual focus control
• manual exposure control
• shutter speed options
• microphone input
• headphones output
• good optical zoom (16x)
• Firewire in/out
• in-camera editing features
• durable and ergonomic design
Recommended camera accessories include
• tripod—rugged construction, smooth movements, removable camera
shoe
• firewire cables
• field monitor
• travel case
• extra extended-life batteries
Sound The tiny microphone on the video camera is suitable for basic home
video production but fails to perform effectively for many student
short productions. In Film and Video Production 12 students must
learn to appreciate the importance of good-quality sound recording
and the impact it has on the audience. Students should be given the
opportunity to experiment with and manipulate the soundscape of
their productions.
Recommended sound resources include
• unidirectional boom microphone
• hand-held cardioid or omni-directional microphone
• (4–5 m) extension pole
• shock mount
• 5-m microphone cable (XLR to 1/8")
• headphones (1/8” jack)
• dual XLR adapter with independent volume controls or other audio
mixing device
• external recorder (DAT or analog tape)
Editing Equipment Non-linear PC editing technology is a big part of why Film and Video
Production 12 can be offered in schools. A medium-speed computer
with suitable hard-drive capacity can produce terrific results for a
fraction of the cost of traditional linear editing equipment.
Hardware
• 650+ MHz computer
• 256 MB RAM
• 40 gigabyte hard drive
• CD burner
• Firewire capture card
• sound card with microphone input
Software
Lower-priced basic editing software is sufficient for most student
productions. Exposure to higher-end semi-professional editing software
would be a beneficial student experience. This option would require at
least one higher-end multimedia computer with additional RAM and
HD capacity.
People/Places Much of what the province in film and video production has to offer is
centred in the Halifax/metro region. However, each community tends
to have a hub of independent filmmakers or those who work in some
capacity related to the industry. Consult the Nova Scotia Film
Development Corporation production guide for resources of people and
places in your community.
Classroom Resources Look for an environment that could be darkened with little effort as
there is a large video watching and critiquing component to the course.
Also look for a room that is central and will result in minimal
interference if students are filming in school during the school day.
• VCR and/or DVD player
• television or LCD projector
• amplifier and speakers to intensify sound portion of projects
• lockable cabinet/room with power access to recharge cameras and
store equipment, props, files, etc.
• access to editing computers for blocks of time during pre-production
and post-production stages of video production
• student-access limitations to critical management files and access to
other student files
History of Film Today the widespread use of High-8 and digital cameras is a far cry
from December l895, when, in Paris for the first time in the world,
motion pictures were projected on the French cinématographe, a
combined camera/projector patented by the Lumière brothers of Lyon.
News of the marvellous invention travelled fast, and everyone wanted to
see the amazing moving images for themselves. On Saturday night, June
27, 1896, the first projection in Canada took place in Montreal. Critics
called it “one of the wonders of the century,” as they saw 10 short
flickering films, including a cavalry charge, waves breaking on the shore,
and a train arriving in a station. The following month in Ottawa, in an
open park, 1200 people watched their first movies on Thomas Edison’s
Vitascope; the review called it “realism on canvas.”
In Halifax, Nova Scotia, audiences had their first taste of the movies in
1897 with Edwin Porter’s Wormwood’s Dog and Monkey Theatre, a
vaudeville show where moving images by Edison were presented
alongside the jugglers, singers, musical monkeys, and dancing dogs.
There is a newspaper account of a film shown at the Academy of Music
a year earlier, which was technically a failure; the audience booed and
threw things at the screen. Finally, the promoter was forced to cancel the
showing, claiming there was not suitable electric power for his projector.
In 1900, the Biograph did a tour of towns in Nova Scotia but only
where a direct current of 30 amperes and 110, 250, or 500 volts could
be obtained.
In June 1904 the American Vitagraph Company persuaded the Halifax
Board of Trade to assist them in filming scenes of Halifax, which would
certainly provide good publicity for the city because the images would
be projected throughout the United States. Then two months later, the
American Vitagraph Company returned to Halifax with a show that
included these views of Halifax, which were extremely popular.
The first permanent movie house in Halifax was The Nickel, which
opened with a screening of a hand-coloured drama on May 2, 1907.
The movie, of course, was silent, and the projector was cranked by
hand. With an admission cost of 5 cents, the show was screened
continuously from noon to midnight. Evidently, the local police
inspector acted as the official censor; he always attended the first
showing of a film to check it out. In Saint John, NB and St. John’s, NL,
there were also Nickel theatres.
noises of the ‘talkies’ were heard in the land, and the silent screen, along
with the ox-drawn plow and the tern schooner, became a part of
history.”
Government departments were well aware of the persuasive impact of
films. The Canadian Department of Trade and Commerce published a
catalogue in 1922 of motion pictures produced by the Exhibits and
Publicity Bureau. Called the “Seeing Canada” series, there were such
titles as Through Canada from Coast to Coast, Where the Moose Runs
Loose, Random Glimpses of Cape Breton, Apple Time in Evangeline’s
Land, and Halifax, the Gun-Guarded Gateway. In 1924 the Canadian
Government Motion Picture Bureau was established; its mandate was
“to advertise Canada’s scenic attractions, agricultural resources and
industrial development, to distribute Canadian pictures in Canada, and
to help different regions get to know each other.” Not surprisingly, this
mandate remains very similar for the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation and the National Film Board of Canada. The Motion
Picture Bureau was primarily making simple travelogues. John Grierson
(first commissioner of the NFB) said someone once remarked to him
that “if life in the Dominion [Canada] is as these films represent, we
might expect Canadians to engage only in fishing, golf and the
observation of wild animals. There are practically no industries, very
little work and no working people.”
Films were hugely popular with the general public. The Nova Scotia
Board of Censors reported that in the years 1929–1930, a total of
6,713,000 feet of film were screened, and the attendance was
6,100,000, which is pretty remarkable for a population of around
510,000 people. Then, the movie houses were grand spaces such as the
Capitol Theatre in Halifax, which opened in 1930. The souvenir
program said, “I am the Capitol Theatre. One of America’s really great
theatres. I am not merely made of marble, mortar, stone and steel.
Within me throbs the loves, the hates, the adventures, and the countless
other emotions of the universe.” The decor of the theatre even sported a
knight’s armour.
In 1936, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Corporation was founded.
At this point CRBC was devoted to radio broadcasting. Its dual
mandate was to promote a national radio service and to regulate all
broadcasting in Canada. In October of the same year, the National Film
Society of Canada was incorporated; its mandate was “to encourage and
promote the study, appreciation and use of motion and sound pictures
and television as educational and cultural factors in the dominion of
Canada and elsewhere.” Today, that society still exists as the Canadian
Film Institute. Although popular in Britain and Europe, film societies
until then had been non-existent in North America.
National Film Board Prime Minister Mackenzie King invited John Grierson, an esteemed
(1939–1973) Scottish film producer, former head of the film service for the Empire
Marketing Board in London, and founder of a documentary film school
in Britain, to come to Canada and conduct a survey of film activity in
all government departments, especially in the Canadian Government
Motion Picture Bureau and to make recommendations for a Canadian
film policy. The government wanted films that would better project the
image of Canada at home and abroad. The National Film Act became
law on May 2, 1939, and within five months John Grierson was hired
as head of the newly created National Film Board of Canada and
government film commissioner. It was significant that Canada had just
entered the Second World War in September 1939. Later as manager of
the Wartime Information Board, Grierson would also oversee print and
poster propaganda. In the next couple of years, all government film
activity was centralized under the aegis of the National Film Board, and
the Government Motion Picture Bureau was disbanded. From 1941 to
1945 the number of staff at the NFB rose from 50 to over 700.
Grierson recognized the importance of audiences for his films and set
about creating an alternative network of non-theatrical (as distinct from
the commercial) movie theatres, and by 1945 there were 85 rural
circuits where a travelling projectionist (the “movie man” and some
movie women) screened a film program in various communities over
the course of a month. As well, there were industrial and trade union
circuits. Across the country, 25 regional film libraries operated. This set-
up was modelled on work done by the National Film Society and the
University of Alberta.
To carry out film production at the newly formed National Film Board,
Grierson hired talented but mostly inexperienced young men and
women to work with seasoned filmmakers whom he had attracted to
Canada from England. He also contracted out film work to the few
Canadian independent filmmakers and companies like Budge Crawley
and ASN Screen News. The pace of work was ferocious. Grierson’s
instructions to his filmmakers regarding their films were blunt: they
were “to bang them out one a fortnight and no misses.” Two early NFB
series were “Canada Carries On” and “World in Action.” These
20-minute films were shown in theatres once a month to highlight
Canada’s contribution to the war effort. Grierson once said “You can’t
sell the war as you would cornflakes. You may have at times to make
people believe what they ought to believe rather than what they want to
believe.” Grierson strongly believed in film as an agent of social
development and of propaganda. In 1941, the NFB won an Academy
Award for the documentary film Churchill’s Island.
John Grierson and several of the British filmmakers he lured to the NFB
left Canada at the end of the Second World War. Although planning to
work in New York, Grierson unfortunately became implicated in a
postwar communist scandal and was forced to leave North America
under a cloud of suspicion. What he left behind was a remarkable legacy
for Canada: the National Film Board, one of the largest film studios in
the world, with a group of well-trained, innovative documentary
filmmakers and animators, and a very effective film distribution
network. This institution that Grierson created later became the model
for similar state film production units in Australia, New Zealand, and
South Africa. Considered by many to be the father of the documentary,
Grierson certainly made a permanent impact on the Canadian film
scene.
During the war years, the mandate for Grierson and the NFB was
abundantly clear. The NFB had produced hundreds of short films for
the war effort. Postwar, the NFB had to find a new role for itself; the
filmmakers faced the challenge of making peace as exciting and relevant
as war.
By 1953 they were also facing the revolutionary inauguration of the
Canadian television service. Guy Glover, a longtime producer at the
NFB, wrote in 1958: “Some had thought that television would do away
altogether with film, others thought of it as merely a new device for
projecting films in the home and the classroom, if not in the theatre ...
television began very early to use films in extraordinarily large quantities
so that the new and shocking effect for film-makers turned out to be
that of volume ... no film group either private or state-owned could
ignore this vast demand ... this resulted in, for one thing, a
technological revolution which brought into existence new cameras,
new sound equipment, new film stocks, new laboratory processes, and
the new skills to operate them.”
Guy Glover continued with this critical look at the documentary: “As
the documentary matured, however, its theories tended to become
dogmatized and its technical means (in the broadest sense) tended to
become set. The eternal, earnest, plodding voice of the narrator; the
over-indulgence in music-backgrounds; camera-work which, in a
studied effort to be self-effacing, achieved only monotony; the flaccid
cutting devoid of rhythmic order; and the pervasive tone of sociological
virtue and do-goodery—all these (and others) became characteristics of
the documentary to an increasing degree.” He continued, saying, “This
creative crisis was, as it were, superimposed on the ‘television crisis,’ and
the two formed the prevailing climate for Canadian film production in
the early fifties.”
That was a damning critique of the period, but one that reversed itself
in the energy and innovation of the late 1950s and 1960s, regarded by
many to be the golden age of the National Film Board. The new
lightweight cameras released from the tripod and the portable sync
sound recorders allowed unprecedented freedom for the filmmakers.
Classic films like Corral (1954) and City of Gold (1957) by Colin Low,
Glenn Gould (1959) and Lonely Boy (1961) by Wolf Koenig and Roman
Kroitor, Nahanni (1962) by Don Wilder, Les Raquetteurs (1958) by
Michel Brault and Gilles Groulx, La Lutte (1961) by Michel Brault and
Claude Jutra, Drylanders (1963) by Don Haldane, and Nobody Waved
Good-bye (1964) by Don Owen gained a huge international reputation
and won awards for the NFB all over the world.
It is not possible to talk about any period of history of the NFB without
mentioning Norman McLaren, whom Grierson in 1941 had invited to
establish an animation studio and to train the first generation of
animators at the NFB. McLaren accepted. The two men had worked
together in their native Scotland, and McLaren in 1939 moved to New
York City to work as a producer. McLaren was a brilliant animator who
spent most of his creative working life at the NFB in Canada, making
films such as Begone Dull Care (1949), Neighbours (1952), Mosaic
(1961), Pas de Deux, and Narcissus (1983).
In 1965, the NFB took the first step to set up regional production
centres. A production representative was appointed first to the NFB
distribution office in Vancouver, and two years later three more officers
were assigned to Toronto, Winnipeg, and Halifax. At this time as well,
the Challenge for Change program at the NFB became a significant
force, all part of a new climate of participatory democracy. Colin Low
produced the Fogo Island project in Newfoundland and helped to set
up and train the Newfoundland Memorial University film unit. As head
of the Challenge for Change program, he initiated many regional film
and media programs throughout the country, which were instrumental
in democratizing the film process by giving to the community both the
cameras and the skills to use them. One example was the Community
Television project in Thunder Bay, under the leadership of Rex Tasker,
which became seminal to the philosophy of the regional centres.
Nova Scotia Before Grierson left the NFB in 1945, he exerted a far-reaching
influence on the future of Nova Scotia film. Margaret Perry was one of
Communications
the talented young people whom Grierson had brought to the NFB in
and Information Ottawa. During the war years, women had unprecedented access to
Centre many jobs because so many of the men were off to war. Originally,
Perry was inspired to became involved in film when she saw a
travelogue in the theatre and decided to take a correspondence course in
stills and movie photography. At first, so many rolls of badly exposed
film went into the wastepaper basket that her father told Margaret “I
think you are wasting time and money.” She persisted.
Perry worked as a travelling projectionist, screening NFB films in the
rural circuit in her native New Brunswick. Every month she would
receive a new batch of films to screen; for the first time she had a chance
to watch (again and again) good documentary films. Then, she started
making her own short, simple films about the activities she saw around
her: ice fishing, curling, the Christmas tree business. Self-taught,
Margaret Perry filmed, edited, and titled her films and then screened
them for local audiences eager to see themselves on the screen. Grierson
heard about her filmmaking and asked her to come to Ottawa, where
she worked for 2½ years as a cameraperson and an editor on films such
as Grand Manan and Newfoundland: Sentinel of the Atlantic. Based on
her NFB experience, Perry was asked to return to the Maritimes and
accept a newly created position in Halifax, to make travel, industrial,
and promotional films for the province of Nova Scotia. The new Nova
Scotia film centre would be under the aegis of the premier’s office and
could be accessed by all provincial government departments.
Urging her to accept, Grierson told her that “he had been trying to
interest the provinces in setting up their own film units to make
documentaries in cooperation with the NFB.” Perry said he gave her a
letter welcoming her back to the NFB should things not work out in
Nova Scotia. The rest is history; she came to Halifax and remained in
the job until she retired in 1969, having made over 50 films. With her
colleagues, she constructed an extraordinary portrait of life in Nova
Scotia. It is difficult to overestimate the influence of these films. Prior
to television, for a whole generation, the image of Nova Scotia in the
classroom or the community hall was through the lens of Margaret
Perry’s camera. Affectionately called “the film lady,” she took her camera
everywhere around the province, to places where a woman would not
ordinarily be expected or accepted.
Today, we are left with an invaluable visual legacy of the way life used to
be in the province, be it tuna fishing in Wedgeport, raising chickens or
apple harvesting in the Annapolis Valley, the Highland Games, or the
opening of the Canso Causeway. Ned Norwood, Les Krizsan, and
Martin Alford worked with Perry for years at the Nova Scotia
National Film The National Film Board set up its Atlantic production studio in
Halifax in April 1973. Until then the NFB presence in the region
Board of Canada—
consisted of distribution offices in Halifax and Sydney (NS), Moncton
Atlantic Region and Saint John (NB), St. John’s and Corner Brook (NL), and an outlet
in the Department of Education office in Charlottetown (PE).
Rex Tasker, the founding executive producer of the Atlantic studio, had
been a senior filmmaker at NFB Montreal. He had made several
documentary films for the NFB in the Atlantic Region, such as Halifax
Neighbourhood Centre, The Baymen, and Encounter at Kwacha
House, Halifax. He had worked as a producer for the Challenge for
Change program, particularly for one project in Thunder Bay where he
trained local young people to produce film and video programs that
were telecast by the community channel on cable television. He had
taught film at Stanford University in California. Tasker was part of a
group of five people who came to Halifax to set up the Atlantic Studio.
The headquarters for the National Film Board in Halifax were on
Barrington Street, site of the old Family Theatre, originally The Nickel
Theatre, the first permanent cinema in Halifax. The goal of the Atlantic
studio was threefold: to make good films about or relevant to the four
Atlantic provinces, to provide an opportunity for local filmmakers to
develop and work without leaving their home provinces, and to do
whatever was possible to create a vigorous film/video community. The
NFB Atlantic Studio succeeded as a major catalyst for film activity in
the Maritimes and Newfoundland. In 1975, a local repertory film
theatre, called Wormwood’s Dog and Monkey Cinema, set up shop in
the NFB building, for about seven years. The Atlantic Film Festival also
operated from there for several years until a fire gutted the NFB
premises in 1991.
In 1973 with local videographer Brian MacNevin, a graduate of the
Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, the NFB set up a small video
centre equipped with ½" black-and-white Sony equipment. Then, in
1975, the NFB joined up with Teled, a Halifax-based non-profit
community media organization, to establish the Video Theatre opened
in the fall of 1975.
The NFB supported all the filmmakers’ co-ops as they were individually
established in the four Atlantic provinces. It provided the co-ops with
funding for production and provided access to NFB technical facilities
when possible. It was a symbiotic relationship. The NFB would
encourage young filmmakers to start their careers at the film co-ops;
more-experienced filmmakers from the co-ops would work on films at
the NFB.
One of the early initiatives of the NFB’s Atlantic Centre was to create
the Film and Video Atlantic Newsletter about film and video activity in
the region, which was widely distributed. Published from 1973 until
1977, the newsletter proved very useful and remains a good archival
source of information. In 1975, NFB French Production set up a
regional production studio in Moncton, New Brunswick.
By 1979, the Atlantic Studio had completed about 38 films with several
others in production, ranging from coal mining in Cape Breton to the
Goudie family in Labrador to Tara’s Mulch Garden in New Brunswick
to The Islanders in Prince Edward Island. Many of these films reflected
Tasker’s bias: “I especially like to produce films about this region’s rich
history. After all this is the oldest part of Canada and I believe history
largely determines who we are.”
The mandate of the NFB Atlantic Studio was to use local talent
whenever possible in the production of its films. Most local young
filmmakers were forced to leave the region not only for training in film
and video but for the opportunity to make films in the region. The
presence of the NFB started a reversal of that trend. Shortly after setting
up the studio, NFB originated a six-month training/apprenticeship
program for a few talented young directors and a similar technical
apprenticeship program in camera and sound. In 1975–76 the Atlantic
Studio benefited from a NFB National Drama program for which
director Israel Hicks and producer Vladimir Valenta came to Halifax for
three workshop sessions and trained 13 aspiring dramatic film directors
and 13 actors in workshop sessions. Finally, three directors were chosen
to spend a few months training in Montreal, during which time each
completed one short dramatic film. Les Halman, an experienced film
and sound editor who came to Halifax from NFB Montreal, trained
and eventually hired many local film people to work on the post-
production phase of NFB films.
Certainly other training opportunities were available in Nova Scotia,
much of which coalesced in the mid-1970s. For instance, Dalhousie
University offered an experimental workshop in television studio
production in 1974. Also in the mid-1970s, a drama course was taught
by Robert Frank at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. Henry
Orenstein, a talented animation artist at CBC Halifax, also taught a
course in animation at NSCAD. Courses in experimental video were
offered at NSCAD, and Brian MacNevin, a graduate of the Art College,
worked closely with NSCAD when he set up the Centre for Art Tapes
in 1978. The Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative conducted many
workshops in Super 8 and 16 mm with the financial assistance of the
Nova Scotia Department of Recreation and Fitness.
Atlantic The genesis of AFCOOP is described on its Web site: “In 1973, 17
ambitious artists gathered at the Seahorse Tavern to chat about film
Filmmakers making. The drinks flowed, the conversation flowed, and in a burst of
Cooperative ‘spirited’ brilliance someone came up with the idea of establishing a
filmmakers’ co-operative in Halifax.” Later that year, three of these
“celluloid warriors,” Chuck Lapp, Don Duchene, and Stefan
Wodoslawsky, arrived (without an invitation) at a Canada Council
policy meeting in New Richmond, Quebec. They demanded that the
council fund a film co-operative in Halifax just as it had already done in
Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. They came as representatives of a
committed group of independent young filmmakers in Nova Scotia,
with a promise of limited financial support and backup of technical
expertise offered by the newly established NFB Atlantic Studio.
AFCOOP received funding from the Canada Council in 1974 when it
received its first grant of $50,000. Once the co-op received this
funding, it was able to buy its first professional 16-mm camera. The
professional 16-mm equipment was available only to members, but the
Super 8 equipment could be borrowed by anyone who had a viable
project and knew how to use the equipment. The co-op offered its first
Super 8 workshops, sponsored by the Department of Recreation and
Fitness, in the spring of 1974. The first president of AFCOOP was
Chuck Lapp, followed by Susan Renouf, and then by Gordon Parsons.
Its mission statement states that “the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative
is an accessible member-run centre for the production of creative films
in a collaborative, learning environment.” AFCOOP was followed by
the Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Cooperative (NIFCO) in
1975, Island Media Arts Cooperative (in Prince Edward Island) in
1978, and the NB Filmmakers Cooperative (New Brunswick) in 1979.
Co-ops were key to the development of independent filmmaking in the
region, and all four remain active today.
The Atlantic co-op set up a visiting artists program. The sessions remain
open to the public, and over the years many artists such as Robert
Frank, David Rimmer, Veronika Soul, and Michael Snow have visited
AFCOOP. The workshop program in the use of both Super 8-mm and
16-mm equipment is given primarily to the schools but also to
interested community groups. Through the financial assistance of the
Department of Recreation and Fitness, the co-op has become a Super-8
resource centre; workshops are offered, and the public can borrow
Super-8 cameras and editing equipment for up to a week without
charge. For a small fee of $20, in 1977, workshops were offered with a
total of 20 hours of teaching and practical experience.
In 1980, AFCOOP was the first of the co-ops in Canada to mount a
travelling show of the work of its members. Other film co-ops followed
suit and sent their work across the country, which included screenings
Video Theatre/Eye The National Film Board had set up a small video centre equipped with
Level Gallery/ ½" black-and-white Sony equipment at the NFB in 1974. A year later,
the NFB joined up with Teled, a Halifax based non-profit community
Centre for Art media organization to create the Video Theatre, which opened in the
Tapes fall of 1975. Teled received a $23,000 operating grant for 1975–76
from the Canada Council for the Video Theatre, under the direction of
Michael Coyle. The various projects of the theatre straddled the social
action mandate of Teled and to a lesser extent the NFB and the support
of artists mandate of the Canada Council.
The four main areas of activity for the Video Theatre were to provide
access to video equipment, to carry out major video productions and
experimental video work, to promote video art and self-expression, and
to facilitate the distribution of videotapes. The Video Theatre was a
resource to the community at large. It used the original ½" black-and-
white Sony portable shooting and electronic editing equipment supplied
by the NFB, which had been used by many Challenge for Change
projects across the country. The NFB Montreal engineering department,
working with Sony technicians, had adapted the equipment to expand
its capability from a production/playback system to an inexpensive
electronic editing system. Prior to this solution, the only way to edit on
this primitive system was by manually cutting and splicing.
An eclectic range of video projects was made through the Video
Theatre, such as The House that Jack Built, Con-Act (an interactive
project with the inmates of the Springhill penitentiary), or an
experimental dance performance. There were many technically
innovative projects such as the documentary drama Thecla’s Choice
written by Pat Walsh, directed and edited by Michael Coyle, and
released in 1979. Pushing the medium to its limit, the video was shot
and edited on 3/4" video and transferred to 2" broadcast videotape. The
drama was made in collaboration with the Sisters of St. Martha who
also played all the female roles. Another NFB Atlantic drama
production in New Brunswick, Une simple histoire d’amour was
Wormwood’s Dog Meredith Hutchings wrote that “Wormwood’s Dog and Monkey
and Monkey Cinema was the brainchild of Gordon Parsons. The story goes that he
spread the map of Canada out on the kitchen table of his childhood
Cinema home in Ontario and placed little flags on the cities where alternative
cinemas were already established. Seeing no flags east of Montreal, and
with his Newfoundland roots, Gordon moved to Halifax to establish his
dream. City bylaws needed to be changed, censorship boards had to be
wooed, and eventually a 1940, 35-mm projector from Annapolis Royal
needed to be lovingly overhauled. And for the best part of the next 20
years, until the cinema closed its doors in 1998, Wormwood’s dished up
nightly servings of independent cinema from the Atlantic Region and all
parts of the globe.”
Appropriately named after the vaudeville troupe that in 1897 screened
the first film ever seen in Halifax, Wormwood’s Dog and Monkey
Cinema was first housed and operated for more than seven years in the
NFB theatre, which, fittingly, used to be the balcony of the old Family
Atlantic Film The Atlantic Film Festival was begun in 1981 in St. John’s, Newfoundland,
Festival by Michael Riggio, a transplanted filmmaker from Montreal, who decided
that Newfoundland and the Atlantic Region needed a showcase for its
growing film industry. Until then, there were Canadian film festivals in
Vancouver, Yorkton, Toronto, and Montreal. That first year, only a handful
of films were screened at the LSPU Hall in St. John’s, a jury evaluated the
films, and simple plaques were presented as awards. Funding for the first
festival came from a benefit screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The second year, the festival moved to Halifax in what was intended to
become a rotating schedule around the Atlantic Region. But the festival
remained in Halifax. Michael Riggio became ill, others took over
management of the event, and his vision for a travelling festival was
abandoned. It became clear that if the film festival wanted to be eligible for
adequate funding, it needed a permanent location and a reputable board of
directors.
In the first two years of the festival, the main emphasis was on Atlantic
Canadian film and video with a small number invited from outside the
region. The festival budget in 1982 was $30,000; a year later it had grown
to $100,000. In 1983, Bill MacGillivray’s first feature film, Stations, opened
the festival. Siege, the second feature film of Paul Donovan, also premiered
during the festival. Young filmmakers like MacGillivray and the Donovan
brothers were determined to succeed in Halifax, outside the so-called
centres of excellence of Toronto and Montreal.
In spite of organizational and financial problems at the beginning, the
festival has survived and plays an important role in the film and video
community in Atlantic Canada. Widely respected across the country, the
Atlantic Film Festival is now considered part of the core festival circuit.
Over the years, many festival directors have built up the credibility of the
operation, people like Ramona MacDonald, Gordon Parsons, Robin
Johnston, Gordon Whittaker, and now Lia Rinaldo.
It is very important to local filmmakers to see their own work and the work
of their peers on the screen with an audience. And festivals provide useful
workshops that bring in expertise not available outside major film/video
centres. As well, distributors and broadcasters attend the major festivals,
now including Halifax, which gives local filmmakers and producers the
chance to pitch their projects without having to pay for a trip to Toronto,
the so-called $500 cup of coffee.
Over the years the whole question of awards has been bandied around.
Many people would rather not have awards for the “best” films at all; they
feel the screening before an audience is what it’s all about. A series of
beautiful awards called the Moonsnails was created in 1985, reserved for
films produced in the Atlantic Region. Several craft awards also give local
filmmakers financial prizes for film services, which help defray expenses.
Smaller festivals have been established in the region, but the Atlantic Film
Festival remains the major event.
Nova Scotia Compare the modest nine pages of the mimeographed newsletter listing
all film and video producers in the Atlantic Region, which was
Independent Film
published by the NFB in 1976, and the 300-page glossy handbook,
Industry Nova Scotia Film and Video Production Guide, with an extensive
listing of film expertise available in the province, which is now
published annually by the Nova Scotia Film Development Corporation.
The size of the industry today is a far cry from the late 1970s when
Michael and Paul Donovan produced their first feature film, South
Pacific, 1942, proudly made with no financial help from Canadian
government programs. This early feature has become a cult film. It was
followed in 1983 by Siege, loosely based on the Halifax police strike of
1981. At the time, Paul Donovan said, “Basically we are committed to
making low budget films of a commercial orientation.” Today the
Donovan brothers’ company, Salter Street Limited, has produced feature
films and well-known television series such as This Hour Has 22 Minutes
and Made in Canada.
Salter Street is not the only example of a Halifax-based production
company that chose to remain in the region and not to migrate to the
so-called centres of excellence in Toronto and Montreal. Bill
MacGillivray’s company, Picture Plant, produced feature films like
Aerial View, Stations, and Life Classes, which were intensely personal and
strongly rooted in the Maritime culture. ImX Communications with
Chris Zimmer explored the field of international co-productions for
feature films. Barry Cowling and Terry Fulmer (formerly of NFB and
CBC respectively) formed Citadel Productions, which engaged in some
feature films but concentrated on documentary production.
Perhaps the earliest independent producer is Bill Skerrett, of Skerrett
Communications. In 1976, he opened the first commercial colour video
studio, ABS Production Centre. He also opened Audio Visual East, a
division of Skerrett Communications, which was the first professional
recording studio in Halifax. Skerrett produced countless “films and
audio visuals of a training and public relations nature.”
The Nova Scotia independent film community lobbied the provincial
government very hard to create a film policy, to introduce Nova Scotian
tax incentives to stimulate film production, and to establish the Nova
Scotia Film Development Corporation. It lobbied the federal
government to establish an office for Telefilm Canada in Halifax.
Through years of hard work and persistence, it has constructed a strong
base for the film industry in Nova Scotia. Skilled technical crews, well-
trained support staff, talented directors, editors and producers, and
excellent facilities have all contributed to making Halifax the fourth
largest production centre in Canada.
African Nova Two remarkable Nova Scotian women, Sylvia Hamilton and Catherine
Scotian and Anne Martin, have been at the forefront of filmmaking in these two
communities over the past 15 years, making films that reflect and
Aboriginal Film inspire their communities.
Activity Hamilton, an African Nova Scotian, has recently completed her most
ambitious film, Portia White: Think on Me, a portrait of the trials and
triumphs of the magnificent Black contralto from Nova Scotia. Martin,
a Mi’kmaw filmmaker, has just completed her most important film, The
Spirit of Annie Mae, about Annie Mae Pictou Aquash, an influential
Mi’kmaw activist from Nova Scotia who fought and died for native
rights in the American Indian Movement. Although both Hamilton and
Martin make their films primarily for their own communities, their
films have become important vehicles for the wider community to
understand the minority culture.
Sylvia Hamilton’s first film, Black Mother, Black Daughter, was produced
with the National Film Board in 1989. A training component was built
into that project to ensure that women would perform all the key roles
on the crew. Usually, women ended up with the assistant roles, and it
was hard to break the cycle. In this case, all key crew roles were assigned
to women, and extra money was budgeted so that an experienced
individual would be assigned to help the woman who was assuming the
job for the first time. This affirmative action resulted in an amazing
learning experience for all the women involved; for instance, Sylvia
Hamilton worked with director Claire Prieto, a Black director from
Ontario.
Aside from making their own films, both Sylvia Hamilton and
Catherine Martin have always been convinced that they have a
responsibility to pass their knowledge to the next generation. They have
both lobbied and found financing for workshop opportunities for
aspiring filmmakers; then, they designed and taught the workshops.
Both women recognize how important it is for minority groups to have
trained communicators working within their communities. At the
present time, Catherine Martin is Chair of the National Aboriginal
Television Network, and Sylvia Hamilton holds the Nancy Chair of
Women’s Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University, a measure of how
highly these two women are regarded.
Conclusion For a large country with a small population strung out along the border
of the United States, the entertainment giant, Canada has a remarkably
successful film and television industry. It has survived and thrived
because, from the earliest days, there was a realization and concern that
film, radio, and television needed to be supported by the government. It
was important to the future of Canada that all areas of the country,
regardless of population base, be served and guaranteed access to
Canadian content in the face of overwhelming culture of the United
States. The Canadian government opted for a publically owned system,
a boldly different option than our neighbours to the south. This
concern for Canadian content and access has dominated our media
history for almost a hundred years.
The regions of Canada have fought very hard to maintain their own
character. The elite, centralist notion was that if you wanted to succeed
then you migrated to the “centres of excellence,” which in this country,
were considered to be Toronto and Montreal. But many talented people
have refused to accept this premise, and now, as a result, there are
healthy arts communities scattered across Canada, which is much the
richer for the diversity.
Atlantic Canada, particularly Halifax, has a very healthy film industry
for the size of the community. It has earned a place as the fourth largest
production centre in Canada. Many people would agree that Canadian
film took hold when the NFB was established in 1939. One can also
say that 1973 was a real turning point for film in Nova Scotia. Whether
one looks at the influence of the NFB regional program, the creation of
the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, the creation of Reel Women, or
the genesis of the Centre for Art Tapes, it was a fortuitous coming-
together of energies and resources, and a willingness and need to work
together. Now 30 years later the results are clearly evident.
Note: It is a good idea to use the same video camera from class to class.
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1. If possible, choose the same camera that you used the previous
class. Sign the camera out on the sheet provided. Do NOT forget to
do this.
2. At the beginning of class, check to ensure that all pieces are in the
bag and on the tripod and that the camera is working. (You will be
held responsible if equipment is missing during, or at the end of, the
class.)
3. Never leave the camera unsupervised.
4. At least 5 minutes before the end of class, return to your teacher
with all equipment. Open the bag so the teacher can see that
• all pieces are present (RCA cables, charger, and camera with
battery)
• the camera is shut off
• the focus switch is turned back to “auto focus”
• the bag is fully zipped up
5. Give video tape, with name on tape, to the teacher.
• The tripod has the camera attachment fastened to it.
• The tripod is fully reduced with legs locked in closed position.
Note how much battery time is left, and leave a note for the next user.
Continuity Sheet
Production _______________________
Date ____________________________ Director _________________________________________
Lighting condition(s)
Character 1
Clothing
Props
Character 2
Clothing
Props
Character 3
Clothing
Props
Lighting condition(s)
Character 1
Clothing
Props
Character 2
Clothing
Props
Character 3
Clothing
Props
Production: ___________________________________________________________________________
Script Supervisor (Continuity): ____________________________________________________________
Please note that the signed daily logs must be passed in with this write-
up.
Now that you have finished editing your movie project, it is time to do
a confidential write-up. You must include detailed feedback on the
process you and your group went through. Look at the daily logs for
reminders of your progress.
Everyone had a specific role in the process.
Group members: Please note clearly what your role was and include
everything that you specifically were responsible for, for example,
storyboard drawings/printed pictures, drawings of set design. These
additional items are very important to include. If you, personally, had
problems during the shoot, detail these. If you felt that you contributed
to a high degree, discuss this. As well, be sure to comment very
specifically and in detail on how each of your fellow group members
responded to his/her tasks, and in particular on how well your director
conducted him/herself.
Directors: Please be very specific about the participation of each
member of your group.
Include, also, comments on the editing process—how things went
during editing, who was involved, and any extra work that had to be
done outside of class—and on the final product (the finished movie
project). In your opinion, how could the shoot/final product have been
improved if you decided to do the whole project over again? This could
include additional shots, if necessary. Any suggestions for improvement
would be welcomed.
Length: approximately 750–1000 words
In this daily log, you should make note of personal progress and group progress. If problems were
encountered, make note of them; if satisfactory or exemplary work was done by the group or an individual,
make note of this. (For any problem that occurred, explain what the problem was and how you or the group
tried to solve it.) This daily log, together with an in-depth write-up, will be passed in at the end of the shoot.
Bring it with you every day and make sure that I initial at the beginning of each class the writeup for the
previous class.
Date:
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On this sheet, the teacher can make candid observations of set protocol as noticed during visitation.
Movie Pitch As you are listening to the pitch, ask yourself the following questions:
Evaluation 1. How doable is this movie idea?
• Can any of it be shot in school?
• How much is outside of school?
• Are character requirements easy to fulfill? (Are adults needed?)
• How many scenes are to be shot outside (as opposed to inside)?
• Is any special equipment needed that may be difficult to get?
What, specifically?
• Are there any “special effects” or potentially dangerous scenes?
Explain.
Pre-Production Before shooting can begin (therefore, no camera in hand until ...):
Checks • Directors have a continually updated three-day plan-for-work
schedule. (Meet with the teacher for several minutes at the beginning
of class for an update and to discuss your shooting locations for the
day.)
• Sets have been located and deemed appropriate.
• A storyboard has been drawn, one picture for every shot.
• A digital storyboard has been shot, preferably on location, framing
shots properly.
• The script has been “finalized,” so that all are happy with it (mainly
the director).
• Actors have done rehearsals on location with all crew on hand (but
no equipment).
• Continuity has designated and located all props and costumes.
• Lighting and set design have laid out plans to set up scenes and have
located and identified needs/concerns (e.g., plugs available, potential
disruptions)
• Editors are comfortable with the editing program.
There must be evidence of well planned pre-production before you will
be allowed to start shooting.
Production Records
Producer’s Report
This form is for the producer to fill out. It is her/his responsibility to see
that it is accurate, informative, and up to date. This will be kept in a
special envelope in your group’s folder. The purpose is to keep the
production going smoothly and to keep accurate data so peer
evaluations are easier and more accurate.
Sample
(Names in sequence)
Day # __7_____
Goals for this class: (Fill out your goals for the next class before the end of the period.)
Finish the bathroom scene and film the opening shot in the parking lot.
Jackie is going to make the “ransom note” for next class.
(Producer fills this out at the end of the previous class so you can get right to work!)
Producer’s Report
Members Absent:
Date:
Day # ______
Goals for this class: (Fill out your goals for the next class before the end of the period)
Shots Remaining:
Producer’s Report
Members Absent:
Date:
Day # ______
Goals for this class: (Fill out your goals for the next class before the end of the period)
Shots Remaining:
Format
Script Storyboard
1 – Slug line 1 – Shot size/Illustration
1 – Scene direction 1 – Camera movement
1 – Dialogue 1 – Shot description
1 – Back story 1 – Sound and overhead
Effort
4 – Storyboard and script are excellent; they are meaningful and detailed, and there was an obvious attempt
at making a quality video. Terrific job.
3 – Script and storyboard are very good but are lacking in details; has potential with a little more effort. An
obvious attempt to make a good video. Good job.
2 – Script and storyboard are fair. Still work to do before the video could be made. A good attempt was made
but script and storyboard are obviously underwritten and missing necessary details.
1 – Storyboard and script are poor. The story is incomplete and important parts of the storyboard are not
present. Obviously a rush job.
0 – Poor effort, sloppy assignment, not worth reading in its present state.
Self-Evaluation
What lessons did you learn in the process of making this video that will help with the success of your next
project? (4 points)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What did you learn about yourself while making this video? (3 points)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Shooting Schedule
Production #: _____________________________
Director: _____________________________________
• Set designer must pre-plan how everything will be set up. Table,
chairs, student desks—even background—must be pre-determined.
• Storyboarder must decide what each shot should look like based on
the script. This will be submitted to the director who will suggest
whatever changes are necessary. Then the storyboarder will redo
those sections.
Shoot Reflections
Depending on how cameras will be made available, cinematographers must be responsible to go to the pickup
place (Library?) to pick up the video camera before reporting to class, and also return the camera with all parts
present, lens cap on, videotape removed (and stored safely in the class), and camera turned off. Please note for
Librarian how much time is left on the battery.
Storyboard Rubric
Video Project #1
0 1 2 3
The information was generally well presented, comprehensive,
and easy to understand
1. Pull up the cassette compartment lid, gently press the blue Eject
button. The compartment will open automatically.
2. Gently insert a cassette with the cassette window facing outward
and the write/protect tab facing up.
3. Close the compartment door by pressing the Push mark on the
cassette compartment. Do not press cassette compartment
down—it goes down automatically. Close the cassette
compartment lid.
4. Remove the lens cap by pressing on the two knobs on the sides of
the lens cap.
5. Set the power switch to the Camera while pressing the green
button. At this time, after about five seconds, you can read on the
LCD, or through the viewfinder, approximately how much time is
left on the battery.
6. Open the LCD panel while pressing the Open button. The picture
will appear on the LCD screen. (In bright light, it may be
preferable not to use the LCD screen. Also note that using the
LCD screendischarges the battery about 10 percent faster than
using the viewfinder.) The viewfinder may be rotated but do so
carefully. There is an adjustment lever underneath the viewfinder
that allows fine adjusting if you find the picture not to be clear.
7. To record (and stop recording) press the red button. Rec should
appear in the viewfinder.
8. When carrying the camera, the camera strap should be around
your neck. Ideally, your hand should be in the side gripstrap as
well. When moving the camera on tripod, close the tripod and
carry the unit with one hand holding the tripod and the other in
the gripstrap. Never carry the tripod without supporting the
camera
9. The camera, on tripod or not, must never be left unsupervised. If
the cinematographer must leave the camera, someone else must act
as a “camera sitter” and guard it with his/her very life!
10. When the microphone wire for the boom mic is attached to the
camera, it must be taped so that the weight of the cable is not
exerting much force on the microphone jack.
11. If you use non-metal particle tape (MP), then you must use the
same camera to continue your recording the next day and you must
use the same camera to play back. Be sure to write down the
camera number. Also, if you record in LP mode (long play, 1–2
times longer than SP), you must also use the same camera for
further recording and playback.
12. Do not point the camera at the sun. Do not record in wet weather.
Do not leave the camera exposed to the sun.
13. The camera battery must be recharged with the battery still
attached to the camera. Use the included power supply and locate,
at the bottom back of the camera, a rubber-covered receptacle.
Gently pull one side away and insert the charging powerpack end
into the camera. With the camera in the Off position, the battery
will recharge, taking about 90 minutes to recharge a fully drained
battery. If the camera is On, no recharging will take place but
power will be supplied to operate the camera by electricity. Typical
recording time on a fully recharged battery is about 45 minutes of
actual recording time.
14. In order to enable smooth edits, it is important to pre-record your
tape. Leaving your lens cap on, press Record. This lays down a
continuous track (time code/tape counter) that all subsequent
recordings can hook into.
15. For most recording that does not include too much movement, the
camera should be set to Manual Focus mode, and the
cinematographer should use the focus ring at the front of the lens
to fine-tune the focus. It is better to “zoom in” on the target, focus
manually, and then return to wide angle.
16. To record a still image in the standby (pause recording) mode,
press the “photo” button next to the wide/telephoto switch gently
until a still image appears. The Capture indicator will appear. If
you are satisfied with the still image, continue pressing the photo
button further down. The still image will be recorded for about 7
seconds. Be careful! Sound will also be recorded at the same time.
CONTENT 1 2 3 4 5
inc poor fair good excellent
The characters and conflict were well
introduced
The main body of the story is well told
The ending is conclusive and interesting
EDITING (Video) 1 2 3 4 5
inc poor fair good excellent
Title/font selection/and character
movement are appropriate
Transitions and cuts are well executed
Credits are comprehensive and appropriate
Time limits were observed (if over, could + 3:00 +2:00 + 1:00 + :30 On or
the story have been told more effectively
under
in a shorter time?)
EDITING (Sound) 1 2 3 4 5
inc poor fair good excellent
Sound additions were well planned and
enhance the video
Sound quality is as good as the equipment
will allow
Sound transitions in and out were smooth
and in sync with the video movement/emotion
COMPOSITION 1 2 3 4 5
inc poor fair good excellent
Scene composition was generally pleasing
to the eye
Camera movement was effective and
non-distracting
OVERALL IMPRESSION 1 2 3 4 5
unacceptable excellent
Additional Comments:
Problems • Too much time is still being missed by various members of the class;
we can’t start if key individuals are missing.
• Punctuality is still an issue; we can’t start if key individuals are late.
• Actors must memorize their lines at home and not rely simply on
class time.
• There were people involved in “one-time jobs” (such as
storyboarding) who
– didn’t consult fully enough with directors to see what their vision
for scenes was before attempting their storyboard effort
– didn’t make enough of an effort to be involved with other aspects
of the movie-making process after their jobs were done (boom-
mic holder, clapper board holder, gaffer’s assistant, for example)
Production Planning
Roles
Director Actors
Extras Set design/location/props
Lighting Cinematographer
Boom mike Clapper board
Continuity
(notes must be passed in with final write-up)
Editor
Deadline Dates Director is responsible for organizing all the below: (Let your crew
know these dates—they must write them down!)
• Read-through—all members—adjustments as necessary by date
• Set locations must be established by date
• Actors must know their lines perfectly by date
• Storyboarding must be completed by date
• Set design, prop list, clothing, set dressing due by date
• Lighting design ready by date
• Director, working with continuity and cinematographer, must
determine order and date of scene shoots
Fade in on:
EXT. TRAIN STOCK YARD—NEAR DUSK
A young man stands nervously in a nearly deserted train yard next to a weather-worn CN boxcar. He is
approximately 16 years old and has long, ratty, red hair tied back in a loose braid. He is wearing a sleeveless
leather jacket over an old denim shirt and well-worn and faded blue jeans. He is digging through the contents
of a handful of wallets, removing all of the loose money and considering the credit cards. On second thought
he pockets only the money and tosses the plastic and now empty wallets into the waiting boxcar. Running out
of wallets he considers the contents of a red leather purse whose strap has been cut cleanly off with the two
ends dangling loose.
Smash Cut
EXT. MALL PARKING LOT—NOON
In a series of quick, semi-slow motion shots, seemingly lifted from an Andrew Davis film, we see a sequence of events
from a purse snatching.
It is a midday on a gloomy, overcast late fall afternoon. The camera overlooks a vista of parked cars crowded
into the asphalt lot of a suburban strip mall. A young woman, in her late twenties, weaves her way through
the maze of cars toward her own vehicle. She is pushing a shopping cart half full of plastic bags of groceries.
Sitting contentedly in the kiddie seat is a three-year-old, blonde-haired little girl. Two young skate punks,
aged 16, dart out between the parked cars. Both are on customized boards heavily decorated in decals and
spray paint. One has his head shaved on one side with a Celtic knot tattoo inked into his bare skull. The
other has long, ratty, red hair tied back in a loose braid. Both are wearing sleeveless leather jackets and well-
worn and well-faded jeans. RED BRAID moves in front of the woman and her child coming to a quick stop
in front of the shopping cart blocking her progress. CELTIC KNOT swoops in from behind the woman and
pulls to a hard stop.
Smash Cut
EXT. TRAIN STOCK YARD—NEAR DUSK
The young man turns the purse inside out, searching for hidden treasure. He finds nothing until he hits the
wallet inside. It too contains credit cards to be tossed into the waiting pit of the boxcar, but hidden in the
deep recess of its change pocket is an exceedingly well folded hundred dollar bill. Closing his eyes as if in
silent prayer the young man tosses the wallet in with the others and turns to walk off.
Smash Cut
EXT. MALL PARKING LOT—NOON
In the same quick shot, semi-slow motion mode.
The punk behind the woman grabs for the purse hanging on a long strap at her side. The woman instinctively
clings to her property. A struggle follows. The two involve themselves in a brutal game of tug-of-war. The
child in the shopping cart, silent until this moment, sensing the distress of her mother begins to wail in terror.
Smash Cut
EXT. TRAIN STOCK YARD—NEAR DUSK
As the young man walks away from the boxcar he catches his reflection in a pool of oily water lying between
the rails of the train tracks and stops to readjust his clothes. As he does this he becomes aware of a bloodstain
on the sleeve of the left arm of the denim shirt.
Smash Cut
EXT. MALL PARKING LOT—NOON
In the same quick shot, semi-slow motion mode.
The woman continues her struggle with the young man with the shaved head. The other skate punk steps
into the fray. The new man whips out a knife from the left breast pocket of his leather jacket and slashes the
strap that is so tightly stretched between the woman and her first attacker. The woman falls backward, trips
over her own feet, and slams into the ground of the parking lot. CELTIC KNOT also fights for balance and
falls hard into the side of a parked car shattering the vehicle’s protruding mirror.
Fade out:
Fade in on:
EXT. BUS STATION—DUSK
It is close to sunset. The sky has taken on a golden glow over the antiquated, hulking structure of an old bus
station terminal. The lights from inside offer a warm and welcome glow while the neon sign on the side of
the building stutters and stammers into its own declaration of TERMINAL LUNCH.
Dissolve to:
INT. BUS STATION LUNCH COUNTER—THAT MOMENT
Sitting at the counter is RED BRAID. He has the beat-dog look of a young man with a whole lot to lose. His
hair is untied from its braid and is hanging down to his shoulders. He is still wearing the sleeveless leather
jacket which is made all the more obvious because of the now-missing denim shirt. He is sitting at the lunch
counter of the bus station nursing a cold cup of coffee and nervously watching both the advance of time and
the social activities around him. Resting in front of him on the counter is an open bus ticket, which he picks
up and studies the scheduled departure time.
Sitting two stools down from him is a fairly well-dressed, middle-aged, slightly overweight and balding man.
He is on his first cup of coffee and halfway through a piece of cherry pie. The WAITRESS is a teenaged girl
who, with an exaggerated air of disinterest, is cleaning up behind the counter. At the end of the row a
YOUNG WOMAN in her late twenties and her four-year-old DAUGHTER are sitting. They are sharing a
soda drink in a large fountain glass and a plate of fries. The young girl’s clothes, like those of her mother, are
threadbare, and the fries are an obvious luxury.
An old black-and-white television is perched halfway up a shelf behind the counter where it broadcasts
silently to the assembled masses. It shares the space with dusty knick-knacks and old postcards.
The man with the cherry pie looks up at the silent screen and with a hand gesture asks the waitress to turn
up the volume. The WAITRESS slowly walks to the set and adjusts the sound.
Cut to:
INT. LUNCH COUNTER TELEVISION SET—THAT MOMENT
Being broadcast is a local news report. A well-dressed female reporter is standing in front of a secluded
wooded site. She is highlighted by a beam of stark light obviously coming from a video news camera. On the
screen behind her, illuminated by a bank of generator-operated lights, there is a flurry of police activity.
REPORTER
We are coming to you live from Porter’s Lake where police continue to investigate a brutal murder. Six-year-old
Louise Peters’ mutilated body was discovered here yesterday.
The image of the reporter is replaced on screen by the picture of a six-year-old girl with lots of freckles and a
friendly gap-toothed grin. It is the kind of picture taken as part of an elementary school portrait sitting. That
picture dissolves through a series of two other shots of the young girl taken at her sixth birthday party. Both
show the toothy grin and freckles.
REPORTER
(VO)
Peters was reported missing from her Halifax home on October 14th, ten days after her sixth birthday. Her
mangled body was discovered eight days later in secluded woods outside Porter’s Lake. She is the third young
murder victim in our region in the last four months.
The final birthday picture of Louise Peters is replaced by side-by-side pictures of two other young girls. Like
that of Louise, one of the photos also has the look of a school portrait while the other has the grainy, soft
look of a 110 family snapshot.
REPORTER
(VO)
On July 12th the body of Judith Westlake was found in woods outside Canning. On September 7th the body of
Patricia Martin was discovered near Lower Sackville. Westlake was six years old and Martin only four. Both were
reported missing by their parents approximately a week before police found their bodies.
The pictures of the two young girls dissolve into a shot of the reporter who is now in a two shot.
REPORTER
As you can see behind me police are hard at work searching for clues that will hopefully lead to the arrest of the
person or persons responsible for these horrendous crimes.
(pause)
Police say there’s no conclusive evidence these murders are the acts of a single person. They will not confirm rumours
of a serial killer. But the facts remain:
(pause)
Three young girls. All under the age of seven. Each abduction approximately a month apart. Their mutilated bodies
found in secluded woods.
REPORTER
(VO)
The official police stance is these three murders are unrelated.
(pause)
REPORTER
(VO Cont.)
This has been Sharon Lynch reporting from Porter’s Lake.
(pause)
Back to you, Paul.
PAUL
(VO)
Thank you, Sharon.
The young WAITRESS offers the PIE-EATING MAN her dish towel so he can clean up the mess on his
pants. The man dismisses her gesture and moves slowly away from the table and out of the small restaurant
and into the main bus terminal. The WAITRESS continues to clean up the coffee spill on the counter top
while sneaking glances at the television. RED BRAID pays absolutely no attention to the man’s departure. He
is listening intently to the news report.
PAUL
(Cont.)
In an unrelated story a young woman and her daughter were rushed to hospital yesterday following a vicious purse
snatching. The incident occurred in the parking lot of Pine Oaks Mall.
The anchor is replaced on the TV by a sparse parking lot and the remnants of the crime scene: police tape,
broken mirror, and bloodstains.
PAUL
(Cont.)
27-year-old Shannon Crafton was leaving Pine Oaks Grocery with her three-year-old daughter, Julie, late yesterday
afternoon. She was approaching her car when she was brutally attacked from behind. According to witnesses, the
attackers were two young men on skateboards.
Smash Cut
EXT. MALL PARKING LOT—NOON
Again a quick series of shots but now in real time rather than slow-motion fragments.
The young punk with the shaved head lies collapsed and barely conscious on the paved asphalt of the Pine
Oaks Mall lot next to the car he collided with. Strewn around him are fragments of the shattered mirror. The
young woman lays unconscious in a heap fifteen feet away. The child in the shopping cart begins to scream in
long, agonized sobs of both fear and grief. A stranger starts to yell and heads in the direction of the fallen
woman and her daughter. RED BRAID drops to his knees and checks on the condition of his fallen partner.
As he lifts the fallen man’s head, the badly smashed and bleeding right side of his partner’s face is revealed.
Blood from the head wound smears over RED BRAID’s arm. Seeing CELTIC KNOT as hopeless, he grabs
up the purse, jumps on his skateboard, and bolts from the scene.
Smash Cut
PAUL (V.O.)
(Cont.)
The situation escalated when Crafton resisted. One of the suspects was also rushed to hospital after being
injured in the attack. The other is still at large. Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Otis of the
Pine Oaks Police department.
will be right back. The WAITRESS shrugs and returns to her half-hearted cleaning and TV watching. PIE-
EATING MAN walks directly past RED BRAID who pretends to be interested in something in another
direction. He surveys the waiting room, his eyes briefly resting on RED BRAID and then moving on to
others in the space. He slowly makes his way to a dark corner of the waiting room, and only then does he take
the time to examine the contents of his wallet. He does not pull out the folded Polaroids but his face does
register relief in their presence. He walks back to the lunch counter and places a few dollar bills next to the
cash register and rejoins the YOUNG MOTHER and her DAUGHTER. RED BRAID sits in stunned
silence, his hand nervously twisting at his tied back hair.
FADE TO BLACK